Today was a red-letter day for LP! While he was enjoying his breakfast in the living room several trucks drove down the street! It turns out the city was doing some re-paving. We went out and watched all the “mike trucks” do their work for an hour or so, and then LP got a super special treat. One of the workers let him ride in the steamroller they use to put down the asphalt. He had a GREAT time and I look forward to posting the video next time “Saturday: Picture Day” rolls around!
Vegan Goodness:
Today we ate:
- Toast with Earth Balance (LP) and Rice Crispies with strawberries (mom) and smoothies for LP, mom and dad.
- A couple leftover chocolate-chip banana muffins as a snack.
- TJ’s black bean and corn enchiladas (mom) and leftover pasta with garlic space pesto (dad) for lunch. LP enjoyed some yummy lentil soup for lunch while he visited with mom and her friend.
- Black Bean Burgers (from Vegan on the Cheap) for dinner, along with grilled fennel (from the CSA). On our burgers we had grilled onion, avocado and tomato (CSA) and lettuce (fresh from our garden).
Money Matters:
During the month of June we have a bigger budget than we will in July. This is partially because I am still working, and there are costs that come with that (transportation, classroom materials, meeting co-workers for weekly Friday breakfast, etc.) So, rather than be completely limited by our “Year of Family” budget, we are simply trying to be more aware of our spending this month, and trying to cut down on “extras.”
Today we spent the following:
- $4.00 for a delicious vanilla roobios latte that mom enjoyed while finally catching up with one of her good friends she hadn’t seen in a while!
- $33.69 in gas for the car
Monday Munchies: Recipe of the Week
When you are looking for a book to help you transition to vegan desserts, look no further than The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Not only is Colleen an amazing cookbook author, but she is also an amazing vegan educator. This book not only has wonderful and easy recipes, but also has information about how to transform all your non-vegan favorites into vegan (and compassionate) goodies! Everyone should also check out her Food For Thought Podcast – it changed my life!
One of my favorite treats from her book is banana-chocolate chip muffins. I have adapted the recipe to fit my sweet-tooth and added a few little bits. Also, these would be amazing with walnuts, but since the G-man is allergic I haven’t made them with walnuts before. But if you can I would say, go for it!
Banana Chocolate-Chip Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 – 1/2 cup of oats (depending on how “oaty” you want them)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
4 medium or 3 large (very ripe!) bananas, mashed with a fork
1/4 cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven 350. Prepare your muffin tins by greasing them or adding muffin liners. (I love our silicone muffin liners from Bed Bath and Beyond, but you can buy similar ones at amazon)
2. In a large bowl beat the sugar and oil together, then add the mashed bananas. Stir until well combined and no large banana chunks remain.
3. Stir in the water and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
4. Add the flour and baking soda on top of the wet ingredients and mix the baking soda into the flour with a fork. (this prevents you from having to make another bowl dirty for dry ingredients). Mix just until the flour is incorporated, then fold in the oats and chocolate chips.
5. Fill each muffin tin. I like to use an ice-cream scooper for this part. Bake for 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
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